Flower petals and spice, a recipe for Lebanese turmeric and aniseed cake
I love using spices and herbs in cooking, the scents, the history, the traditions, the possible health benefits but most of all the pure alchemy of it all. A pinch of this, a spoonful of that, all from treasured tins and jars hidden away from sunlight with names evocative of trade routes across oceans and exotic faraway lands. I can spend hours in specialist spice shops and am always on the look out for any unusual ones I read about (and as a result have a rather large collection).
At a recent cookery class I was introduced to some exciting new blends of garam masala using flower petals inspired by the scents and flavours of Pakistan, charmingly called Masala Monsoon. There are three varieties, each using a distinct flower and spice combination (rose, marigold and jasmine). I ordered two to start with and received a beautifully packaged parcel in the post a couple of days later. They smell amazing and very different. The jasmine blend is perfumed and heady and the marigold version surprisingly sweet with the distinctive smell of nutmeg. I couldn't wait to try them but wanted to do something different and use them in a sweet dish instead of savoury. Over the last week I have been attending a training course for work and my normal routine of a cup of instant at my desk has been pleasingly disrupted. The cafe I have been frequenting for my morning caffeine sells a range of cakes using Persian spices normally associated with savoury dishes and this got me thinking. A little research on-line came up with a couple of traditional recipes using spices that we normally associate with savoury foods and one of these was a turmeric and aniseed cake from the Lebanon called sfouf. Although not perhaps the best recipe to start using an exotic garam masala I thought I'd give it a try as the marigold blend has green aniseed as one of it's main ingredients. I looked at about twenty different recipes, adapting the main ideas to my preferences. The resulting cake is fragrant and unusual but was scoffed without question by the resident tester, M. There is a slight heat from the chilli and black pepper but this works very well and I am very pleased with how this turned out. The cake is egg-free and very light and will hopefully taste even better over the next few days when the spice blend has time to infuse to it's best.
Sfouf - Lebanese turmeric and aniseed cake
2 tbsp tahini paste
300g fine semolina
200g plain flour
25g polenta
3 tsps Masala Monsoon marigold petal garam masala
2 tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp baking powder
320ml boiling water
300g golden caster sugar
170ml rapeseed or sunflower oil
Handful of blanched almonds to decorate
Rub 2 tbsp of tahini onto the base and sides of a 23 inch baking tin and preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Sift together the dry ingredients so that they are well combined. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water and whisk in the oil. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk so that you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and decorate with the blanched almonds (sfouf means row so above design is traditional but its up to you). Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre come away clean. Leave to cool in the tin before transferring to a rack and cut into squares. The sponge is quite delicate so be careful when removing from the tin. Perfect with tea or coffee or a pot of mint tea.
PS: don't tip away the tahini crumbs left in the tin, spoon them out to enjoy later!
At a recent cookery class I was introduced to some exciting new blends of garam masala using flower petals inspired by the scents and flavours of Pakistan, charmingly called Masala Monsoon. There are three varieties, each using a distinct flower and spice combination (rose, marigold and jasmine). I ordered two to start with and received a beautifully packaged parcel in the post a couple of days later. They smell amazing and very different. The jasmine blend is perfumed and heady and the marigold version surprisingly sweet with the distinctive smell of nutmeg. I couldn't wait to try them but wanted to do something different and use them in a sweet dish instead of savoury. Over the last week I have been attending a training course for work and my normal routine of a cup of instant at my desk has been pleasingly disrupted. The cafe I have been frequenting for my morning caffeine sells a range of cakes using Persian spices normally associated with savoury dishes and this got me thinking. A little research on-line came up with a couple of traditional recipes using spices that we normally associate with savoury foods and one of these was a turmeric and aniseed cake from the Lebanon called sfouf. Although not perhaps the best recipe to start using an exotic garam masala I thought I'd give it a try as the marigold blend has green aniseed as one of it's main ingredients. I looked at about twenty different recipes, adapting the main ideas to my preferences. The resulting cake is fragrant and unusual but was scoffed without question by the resident tester, M. There is a slight heat from the chilli and black pepper but this works very well and I am very pleased with how this turned out. The cake is egg-free and very light and will hopefully taste even better over the next few days when the spice blend has time to infuse to it's best.
Sfouf - Lebanese turmeric and aniseed cake
2 tbsp tahini paste
300g fine semolina
200g plain flour
25g polenta
3 tsps Masala Monsoon marigold petal garam masala
2 tsp ground turmeric
3 tsp baking powder
320ml boiling water
300g golden caster sugar
170ml rapeseed or sunflower oil
Handful of blanched almonds to decorate
Rub 2 tbsp of tahini onto the base and sides of a 23 inch baking tin and preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Sift together the dry ingredients so that they are well combined. Dissolve the sugar into the boiling water and whisk in the oil. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk so that you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and decorate with the blanched almonds (sfouf means row so above design is traditional but its up to you). Bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre come away clean. Leave to cool in the tin before transferring to a rack and cut into squares. The sponge is quite delicate so be careful when removing from the tin. Perfect with tea or coffee or a pot of mint tea.
PS: don't tip away the tahini crumbs left in the tin, spoon them out to enjoy later!
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